Its called "Big Sky Country" and it is not hard to understand why. Prairies for as far as the eye can see smothered by enormous blue skies that overwhelm and feel so close you can reach out and touch them. I was told "there's nothing to see out there" but the journey from San Antonio through the Texas west into New Mexico has been amazingly beautiful. One minute it will be vast plains and then a small rise will reveal a canyon or some stunning rock formations. From grassy tundra to desert and dunes to lazy river systems. This region was, for centuries, the territories of various First Nations People who hunted buffalo and lived off the land. Then the Spanish arrived and called it home for a while. The US-Mexico War of 1846-48 secured the area as part of the US territories and it became an important trade and overland mail route. Then of course, cattle came and the legendary cowboy was born along with images of the Wild West. 1920 saw the discovery of oil and the rest....well its history now. Suffice to say that some of the little towns I've passed through still feel as though they are trying to figure out whether they are part of the 19th century or the 21st. Yesterday, I saw a cowboy with spurs and chaps ride up, pull in beside me, hitch his horse up and go into the saloon. Surreal. Its clear to see that many communities struggle economically and that life is as harsh as the environment around them. Some really are ghost towns with abandoned and decaying buildings outnumbering those that appear to have some level of habitation occurring. Other communities, like Madrid in New Mexico take the remains of an old company coal mining village of 1850, re-imagine its potential such that today it is the centre of a thriving artisan community producing amazing pieces of art, pottery, jewellery and fabrics. What has been truly beautiful to finish off my days, has been these sunsets. Breathtaking.
Our journey so far (trip map).
